Edmund Venables

“ Lord Badlesmere was a bitter enemy of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, and we find Burghersh taking an active part in the unhappy contests of parties in Edward II’s reign as an adherent of his uncle, whom in 1317 he accompanied in an expedition to Scotland. In October 1321, when Leeds Castle, Kent—the gates of which had been shut against Queen Isabella by Lady Badlesmere—surrendered to Edward, who had with unwonted spirit raised a force of thirty thousand men to avenge the insult offered to his wife, Burghersh, who was one of the garrison, was taken risoner and incarcerated in the Tower of London. ”

“ A terrible accusation is brought against Alexander, together with his brother bishops of Winchester and Coventry, by the author of the ‘Gesta Stephani,’ of having helped to aggravate the miseries of those days of anarchy, not only by conniving at the acts of cruelty and rapacity of the barons and their retainers which were turning the land into a hell, ‘fearing to strike with the word of God those children of Belial,’ but even by openly imitating their evil deeds, extorting money by torture and imprisonment. ”

“ One important outcome of this appalling calamity was the foundation in the following year, 1350, by Bishop Bateman of the college at Cambridge, to which, as a mark of his special devotion to the blessed Trinity, he gave the name of Trinity Hall. The bishop's object in this foundation, which was designed solely for students of canon and civil law, was to recruit the thinned ranks of the clergy of his diocese with men trained in those studies. ”

“ The accession of Edward VI, which placed Somerset in supreme power, was the beginning of trouble to Oglethorpe. His conduct shows him to have being a man of no strength of character, with little love for the series of religious changes through which the clergy were being hustled, but reluctantly accepting them rather than forego the dignity and emoluments of office. The society of Magdalen College was at that time greatly divided in religious opinion. The majority, including Oglethorpe, adhered more or less openly to the old faith ”

“ Doket was no stranger to the new queen, who must have felt a woman's pride in carrying to a conclusion a scheme in which Margaret had exhibited so much interest, and which had naturally spread to the ladies of her household. Elizabeth described herself as ‘vera fundatrix jure successionis,’ and though there is no documentary evidence of her having helped it with money, the prosperity of the college was due to her influence with her husband, and she gave it the first code of statutes in 1475. ”

“ His adherence to the doctrines of the unreformed church and his distrust at the innovations introduced by the influence of the foreign reformers in the latter part of Edward VI's reign drove him as 'a voluntary exile' to France, where, in his own later words, a 'friendless and moniless' fugitive 'for the wicked pope's sake,' he took refuge at Rouen, in which city he remained some time. ”

“ He was buried in his cathedral on Ash Wednesday, but no monument marks his grave, and its place is unknown. Henry of Huntingdon, whose patron he was, and who dedicated to him the history he had written at his request, though not sparing his faults, gives this attractive description of Alexander's person and character: ‘His disposition was always kind; his judgment always equal; his countenance at all times not only cheerful but joyous.’ A letter is extent addressed to him by St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the occasion of one of the canons of his cathedral entering the Cistercian order. ”

“ We are told also that he regulated the consistorial court of his diocese and issued a code of statutes for its guidance. Burghersh's career as a bishop is far from edifying, but few are more instructive as to the character of the church of England and its rulers in the first half of the fourteenth century. An able administrator, an acute statesman, a practical man of business, usually carrying to a successful issue any task he undertook, he was destitute of political morality, and shamelessly intrigued for political or ecclesiastical advancement. ”

“ Anne called Fleetwood ‘my bishop,’ attended his sermons, and favoured him till her death, in spite of the outspoken whiggism which made him specially offensive to her favourite party. His fulfilment of the duties of the episcopate rose much above the standard of the age, and overcame the prejudice with which he was at first regarded by his clergy. His conciliatory manners, unblemished life, and high reputation secured respect in a diocese where party animosities were unusually strong (Biograph. Brit.) ”

“ FITZNEALE or FITZNIGEL, RICHARD, otherwise Richard of Ely (d. 1198) , bishop of London, was the son—legitimate, if he were born before his father was in holy orders—of Nigel, bishop of Ely, treasurer of the kingdom, the nephew of the mighty Roger, bishop of Salisbury, chancellor and justiciar of Henry I. He received his education in the monastery of Ely, where he acquired the reputation of ‘a very quick-witted and wise youth’ (Hist. Eliens.; Wharton, Anglia Sacra, i. 627) , and laid the foundations of wide and accurate learning and literary power. ”

“ As dean he made Lincoln his home, and devoted himself to the interests of his cathedral and of the city of Lincoln. If not an ideal dean according to the modern type, for which his tone of mind and line of thought, essentially non-ecclesiastical, entirely unfitted him, he conscientiously fulfilled the duties of his office. In the city itself he helped to promote all well-considered measures for the welfare of the community. Blakesley was a whig of the old school as opposed to the modern radical. ”

“ A dispute arising in the parish of Moulton in South Lincolnshire, celebrated in the courts as the case of the 'Moulton images,' gave Barlow an occasion to display his strong anti-popish bias. The churchwardens and leading parishioners, desirous to make their church more decent and comely, obtained a faculty from the deputy-chancellor of the diocese to place the communion table at the east end of the chancel and to fence it in with rails, and at the same time to adorn the walls of the church with paintings of the apostles and other sacred emblems. ”

“ The year after his death John Lindsay, bishop of Glasgow, when at Lincoln, granted forty days' indulgence to all true penitents visiting his tomb. A magnificent shrine was erected, eventually covered with silver plates, at which offerings continued to be made until the Reformation. To these gifts the new rose-window of this transept, known as 'the bishop's eye,' and the other adjacent decorations may probably be ascribed. Applications were made to the pope to procure Dalderby's legal canonisation. ”

“ Not content with schemes on paper, he paid a long series of visits to Ireland, and established cotton-mills in which the people might obtain remunerative employment. He studied political economy as a thoroughly practical matter; took a prominent part in every undertaking for the advancement of the trade of Liverpool and the improvement of its port; and, with others, laboured with indefatigable industry for the repeal of the orders of council which, previous to 1811, by restricting the commerce of England with America, had inflicted a serious blow on the Liverpool trade. ”

“ Alexander espoused neither side openly, prudently waiting the turn of events to declare himself for the winner. We may hope that his diocese was the gainer, and that he gave heed to the weighty words of the council held at this period, that bishops should not possess castles, but devote themselves to the spiritual care of their flocks (Flor. Wigorn. Contin. ut supra, iii. p. 116) . The next time we see Alexander, he is performing his religious functions as bishop in his own cathedral. ”

“ Hilda, Bæda informs us, had previously observed the Scotic rule, but when that practice was condemned she hastened to adopt the Roman rule. Her reputation for practical wisdom grew so that ‘not only all ordinary folk resorted to her in their necessities, but even kings and princes sought counsel of her and found it’ (ib.) Those who had been trained under her rule to a life of unanimity and unselfishness, ‘devoting their time to the study of scripture and the practice of works of justice,’ formed a school from which bishops gladly sought their candidates for holy orders. ”

“ The bread and wine of consecration are 'the very body and blood of Christ.' He does not regard it as contrary to God's word that the gospel should expounded to the people at the time of mass, but is wholly opposed to discarding the Latin tongue. ”

“ Layton, the unscrupulous agent of Henry VIII, accompanied by Richard, the nephew of Thomas Cromwell, was at Ramsey Abbey, and had marked Peterborough as his next victim, Chambers desired an interview with Sir William Parr, afterwards marquis of Northampton, in the vain hope of averting dissolution by copious bribery. If the abbey were spared, the king's majesty should enjoy the whole proceeds of the monastic estates for a year, and Cromwell himself should receive 300l. ”

“ As bishop of Exeter, Lamplugh's conduct was exemplary. He promoted the repair of the parish churches in his diocese, which had suffered much during the puritan sway, and in his own cathedral caused the monuments of his predecessors to be restored to their original places. He regularly attended the cathedral services thrice daily, and was present at a fourth service in his own private chapel. He showed great moderation towards the nonconformist clergy of his diocese, stopping proceedings against them when it was in his power to do so, and dismissing them free of costs. ”

“ Cecil was married to a woman whom her admirable memoir of her husband proves to have been in every way worthy of him, and left behind him a large family of sons and daughters. Of the remarkable body of evangelical preachers who were his contemporaries in London Cecil may safely be pronounced the intellectual chief. He preached from notes, and wrote but little for the press, and his few printed sermons, though characterised by great originality of thought and vigour of style, can give no adequate idea of his pre-eminence as a preacher. ”

“ John's having been unfortunately convicted for the unhappy death of Sir William Estcourt,' Charles II, fast becoming absolute, interposed the royal prerogative for his pardon, Bishop Barlow published an elaborate tract, 1684-5, in support of the regal power to dispense with the penal laws. This tract was succeeded by 'a case of conscience,' proving that kings and supreme powers have the authority to dispense with the positive precept condemning murderers to death. ”

“ It should be added that, in spite of very feeble health, Blunt was a diligent parish priest, and ‘by holy living and faithful preaching became a leading power amongst the vast population of 30,000 souls amongst whom he lived.’ In his early youth before he went to college, he, with a young layman, afterwards his brother-in-law, established the first Sunday school at Chelsea at the ‘Clock House,’ and he continued to manifest a deep interest in that form of education. ”

“ Hervey, who by his courteous behaviour had ingratiated himself with the monks of Ely, promoted the scheme vigorously, and brought it to a successful issue. The council which sat in London at Whitsuntide 1108, under the presidency of Anselm, decreed that the diocese of Lincoln being too extensive for the effectual oversight of a single bishop, the county of Cambridge should be taken from it and constituted a new diocese with its episcopal see at Ely, and Hervey for its first bishop. ”

“ Each party supported the cause of its own men. The quarrel became more and more exasperated, and ultimately deepened into a deadly feud. During the progress of the dispute Lisle took occasion to expostulate with the king against the consecration of Robert Stretton, who on the death of Northburgh, bishop of Lichfield, in 1359, had been elected as his successor at the instance of the Prince of Wales, but by reason of age and blindness had been declared incompetent, both by the archbishop and the pope. ”

“ Early in 1548 the new order of communion had been published, and letters were received from Somerset urging the college, in somewhat indefinite but unmistakable terms, to 'the Redress of Religion.' Oglethorpe felt that to keep his place he must comply. High mass was laid aside, and the English order of communion adopted, the president himself ministering. Not satisfied with this amount of compliance, some of the fellows sent a petition to the Protector accusing the president of attempting to dissuade the society from following his directions. ”

“ According to Henry of Huntingdon (p. 281) , the king (Stephen) , clergy, and people all accepted his election with the greatest joy. As archdeacon, Diceto (also his contemporary) tells us, he had acquired a reputation for great simplicity and humility, which would render him a welcome successor to the haughty and ostentatious Alexander, who had been far more a feudal baron than a bishop. ”